[Real Clear Politics] The Biden administration never expected congressional oversight to be comfortable, but even as lawmakers were busy grilling top military brass Tuesday about their handling of the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, Jen Psaki said the hearing was necessary and good."We feel this is a part of democracy," the press secretary explained from the White House podium. After all, she continued, President Biden "welcomes the candor" and "welcomes the debate." That candor is a reflection of his leadership, "and that’s the kind of president that he will continue to be."
All the same, this hearing was particularly problematic for the president. Just hours before Psaki embraced the oversight, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley and the head of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Frank McKenzie, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that they had recommended keeping at least 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan to prevent the country from collapsing. The obvious problem: Biden had gone on the record in August saying he never got that advice.
The president told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos that his military advisers did not recommend leaving a residual force, insisting that "no one said that to me, that I can recall." Now, the White House says a closer reading of the transcript shows Biden was referring to "a split" between generals who argued a residual force was necessary and those who said it was not. "So, what should everybody take from that?" Psaki asked reporters, setting up the answer to her own question. "There was a range of viewpoints."
Milley and McKenzie, as their testimony made clear Tuesday, were on the losing side of that argument. Who were the military commanders who won the debate? For now, that remains a mystery.
When pressed by a reporter from ABC for that information, Psaki refused to name names. "The president made clear that the advice was split. He didn't outline what every individual conveyed to him in private," she replied, adding that Pentagon officials were "testifying before Congress today. They're answering questions accurately. They're providing more detail on their advice, as they should."